A new restaurant serving Italian-style pizza cooked in a brick oven is open for business in northwest Norman. Adam Oxsen and his wife, Sherise, opened a new local pizza restaurant, Tavola, on Dec. 7. They named the restaurant Tavola, which is Italian for table, because they wanted to create a space in which “relationships could be built around the flavors of the Italian table.”

The couple opened the business after they discovered that they share a passion for cooking and a love for Italian food and culture, and they began discussing opening a restaurant serving Italian fare. Eventually, the entrepreneurial itch was strong enough to start developing a business plan.